Quit And You Get A Free Wedding

Kicking the habit is on you, and marriage is on us

An organisation in Saudi Arabia has come up with a novel idea to stop men from smoking in the country. The charity, Purity have said that any man who attends a week long course and successfully quits for good can have all of his wedding expenses paid for by them! In Saudi Arabia it is normal for the groom to pay for the complete wedding and expected that a large sum is spent. Purity are using the slogan ‘Kicking the habit is on you, and marriage is on us’, which is being displayed all over public areas such as shopping malls and universities.

Not all the men who quit smoking will be given free weddings but their names will be put into a lottery and the first name called out will win the prize. Twenty runners-up will receive a whole lot of free furniture to furnish their marital home.  The other condition is that the marriage has to be the first marriage.

From examining previous research projects done with smoking cessation rates we know that the biggest incentive for people to quit smoking is usually hard cash and that their health comes second. We reckon that this initiative from the charity Purity while being unusual will probably be extremely effective.

If you are struggling to motivate yourself to quit you should always focus on the financial rewards that will come your way when you quit. Not only will you save money from not having to buy cigarettes but your health insurance payments will decline and your overall productivity will be boosted.

It is estimated that around 25 percent of the population in Saudi Arabia smoke and this is putting the burden on the health service.  Governments must understand that any money invested in effective smoking cessation campaigns will always give a good financial return as well as improving the health of the nation.

Not everyone is happy however with this smoking cessation initiative in Saudi Arabia as some women say that it is insulting because they are being married “for free” and their husbands are getting away without having to “buy them!!"